Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
A new poll shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner leading five-term Sen. Susan Collins by 9 percentage points, the latest sign of strength for a challenger who has reshaped Maine’s political landscape.
Roughly 51% of voters said they would vote for Platner if the election were held today, compared with 42% for the Republican incumbent, according to a University of New Hampshire poll of 1,300 likely general election voters surveyed. Six percent said they were undecided, and 2% said they would vote for someone else.
The survey comes as another boost to Platner, who effectively booted Gov. Janet Mills from the Democratic Senate primary last month, just a week after another poll showed him leading the longtime senator by 7 percentage points. But Collins trailed in every single public poll in 2020 and comfortably defeated then-House Speaker Sara Gideon.
The results of the UNH poll largely unchanged since its last survey in February, when 49% backed Platner and 38% supported Collins, according to UNH. While independents are divided, Collins boasted an edge among them at 47% to 44% for Platner.
Some 73% of likely Democratic voters view Platner positively. Unenrolled voters also handed Platner a net positive favorability, 61% to 21%. Among Republicans, 65% had a favorable view of Collins, compared to 21% who had an unfavorable view.
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Platner heads into the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in less than two weeks with a commanding lead. Platner still faces former government official and 2024 U.S. Senate nominee David Costello.
Mills’ name will remain on the ballot based on the timing of the suspension of her bid. Seventy-six percent said they would vote for Platner, according to the poll, compared to 10% for Mills and 3% for Costello. Eight percent remain undecided.
The race is expected to break the spending records of 2020, when Collins held the seat despite former state House Speaker Sara Gideon consistently leading polls. More than $125 million in advertising time has been booked between January and November.